When gift-wrapping articles, it is customary to use a non-woven gift wrapping ribbon, which is supplied in various colors and widths, to produce bows and other decorative effects. This type of ribbon is sold by several greeting card companies, such as Hallmark. The ribbon is typically made of polypropylene or any other suitable materials. The nature of this ribbon is such that if tension or shear is applied to one surface of the ribbon, it curls up. This property can be used to produce various pleasing decorative effects, such as ringlets on the ends of ribbon used to tie up a gift package. Typically, to obtain such a decorative, tension is applied to one surface of the ribbon by passing the ribbon over the exposed blade of a pair of scissors or over a knife blade. This usually requires the operator to hold the ribbon against the blade by the pad area of the thumb. It will be appreciated that this is a dangerous operation with a high risk of the operator cutting his hand.
The same effect can be achieved by running a finger nail along the surface of the ribbon. To do this effectively the other surface of the ribbon must be supported on a hard surface and this is not convenient where the ribbon is already applied to the package. It is also more difficult to obtain a uniform curling effect with a finger nail. Another method that has been employed is to wind the free end of the ribbon around a round object such as a pencil. This is a tedious operation and does not produce a curl which will last.
The present invention is directed towards solving the technical problem of providing a tool which can be employed safely to produce a decorative and lasting curled effect on a gift-wrapping ribbon.